UP's next CM to be decided by party after Assembly polls, says minister

Senior BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Labour Minister Swami Prasad Maurya has said that the next chief minister of the state will be decided by the central leadership after the completion of Assembly elections early next year.

The chief minister will be finalised by the central leadership after the Assembly elections, Maurya told newspersons in reply to a question at the BJP headquarters here on Sunday.

Conflicting signals have continued to emerge from the ruling BJP over who would lead the party in the 2022 Assembly elections and who will be the chief ministerial candidate.

Speaking to newspersons in Etah last week, the BJP's state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh had said that the next Assembly polls will be contested under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Corruption and hooliganism have ended and development is taking place. We will fight the 2022 elections under the hardworking and honest Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Swatantra Dev had stated.

Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya had earlier said in Bareilly that the party's national leadership will decide under whom the upcoming elections will be fought.

When asked if there was any confusion in the party over who would lead the party in the coming polls and who would be the chief ministerial candidate as seen in the recent statements of party leaders, BJP spokesman Harishchandra Srivastava said, Swatantra Dev is the state unit president and what he has said is important. What Keshav Prasad Maurya and Swami Prasad Maurya have said is on the basis of the party's norms and traditions.

"Formally, the announcement of chief minister's name is decided by the Parliamentary Board, and so Keshav Maurya and Swami Maurya would have said this, Srivasatava added.